Picking Up The Pieces
by Ice Drop
Summary: CM Punk's abrupt departure left the WWE Universe in shock. One writer must pick up the pieces Punk has left behind, both in the WWE and in her heart.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm leaving."

"Hmm?"

Ali barely looked up from her laptop. She still had a another fifty or so pages of editing to go through, and judging from the slam of the door when Punk came in, he wasn't in a good mood. Again. He was rarely in anything but a bad mood these days, and she really didn't have time for one of his tirades right now. What she needed to do was finish her work in time for that evening's RAW.

It wasn't until she saw Punk from the corner of her eye with his bag on his shoulder and on his way to the door that she finally looked up.

"Hey. Where ya going?"

"Home."

A look of confusion crossed Ali's face. "Home? But the show hasn't started yet. Did you get hurt at the gym?"

"No." Punk said flatly. "I'm done."

That got her attention.

"What do you mean you're done?" she asked, slowly getting up. The ballet flats she had kicked off while working, missing, probably kicked into the corner of the room. "The show hasn't started yet."

"Fuck the show" Punk spat. "I'm done." He turned from her and headed towards the door again.

"Phil!" Ali called out.

With her heart pounding, she went to grab his arm and forced him to face her.

He looked at her, but remained silent.

"I don't understand." Her blue eyes filled with confusion, and her neck craned up at him.

"What's difficult to understand about this? I'm done."

"You're just walking out?" Her blue eyes wide. Shocked. Hurt. Angry. Still unbelieving.

His hazel eyes looked cold. Tired, but cold. "Yes."

"But... But what about-" she stammered.

**I'm all grown up noooow** The timing of the call couldn't have come at a worse time. Ali looked at her phone on the table, then at Punk, then at the phone again. That was her ringtone for her boss. Stephanie McMahon had always had bad timing. "Phil, don't leave. Wait! Just give me a sec..."

Punk shrugged his arm from her grip. "Go."

Ali hurriedly ran to the phone to grab her phone. "Steph, wait. Wait..."

When she looked back at where she left Punk, all she saw was his back, and the door slamming shut.

"PHIL!"

"Steph! Punk! He's leaving. I need to go stop him!" She breathed out on the phone. She pulled the door open, and looked wildly out the hallway. He wasn't there anymore. She didn't think twice about running to the west exit, her bare feet barely feeling the cold of the cement floor.

"No, Ali," she heard Stephani's voice say, her voice hard. "Punk's an ass. He talked to my dad. He said he was done. Done! The show is in a hour! Ali, we need to make changes to tonight's script!"

With her breath on her throat, Ali watched Punk step into t a cab, his lithe figure and his Best in the World shirt unmistakable. He didn't even glance back to the arena, didn't even give her a last look.

Her hand flew to her mouth, and her phone dropped with a small thud on the pavement as she watched Phil pull the door close. Stephanie was still on the phone, relaying to her the changes for show, oblivious to her distress.

The panic and pounding of her heart gave way to something more painful. The heavy sinking feeling in her tummy slowly clawing its way up to her heart. The ripping sensation of heartbreak stealing her breathe and sanity.

And as she watch the taxi drive off, all Ali could think about was "What about us?"


	2. Chapter 2

Bare feet and staring. That was how Seth Rollins found Allison King. He looked towards where she was staring but didn't see anything worth noting.

"Ali?" He called out to her, walking up the steps towards the arena.

No response.

"Allison!" He said a little louder, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh? What? Hey!" She blinked a couple of time, shaking her head. "Hi Seth."

"You okay?"

"Oh. Yeah. I... " she looked around her, Cold reality sinking into her. Punk was gone.

"This yours?" She didn't notice Roman approach. The tall man, leaning down to pick up the fallen phone. He handed it to her with a smile.

She blinked again. She really needed to clear her head. "Yes, thank you." Work! She needed to work!

Looking for Stephanie's contact, she pressed the call button. "I gotta go." She looked up at Seth and Roman, "I'll see you guys inside." It was answered on the first ring. "Hello? Hi Steph, sorry about that. Yes, I'm on the way there right now."

Seth and Roman shared a concerned look, but otherwise remained silent.

From the corner of the building, Dean Ambrose watched the exchange, noting the stiff steps of Ali as she ran back inside.

* * *

Surprisingly, the writers at Creative weren't quite as pissed as Ali expected them to be. Last minute changes were a given in the industry. They were shocked at Punk's abrupt departure, but ultimately, it was just another day at work fixing the changes in the script. They could gossip amongst themselves about the straight edge star after the show. Their head, Stephanie, was a different matter. Ali could feel the anger radiating through her boss.

The one thing Creative had going was that they always had backup plans. Stars get injured, matches get botched, technical problems always popped up. So they always had a few matches that could be thrown in or even scrapped as needed, fillers and skits that they could film quickly. Sure, Punk's segments were always one of the audience favorites, but there were always stars that wanted more screen time, angles that needed pushing.

"We have about 22 minutes that we have to fill." Stephanie announced after the initial chaos of the news of Punk's departure died down. "Ideas?"

Ideas and matches were thrown in. Some stupid, some frivolous. The good ones, Stephanie nodded to. The writers scribbling furiously on their scripts, noting the time frames. Outlines were easy part of the job, ideas were always out there. Getting the outlines to fit the show's live time, pacing them properly and keeping the story fresh from show to show, pay per view to pay per view, that was always the challenge.

"Alright. Bill, squeeze in that match at the the start of the second hour. Allison, get the changes to the script to the Shield. You'll oversee the production of the opening segment. I'll talk to Hunter and Bryan." She barked a few more instructions, then stood up, signalling that the meeting was over. "Let's get it done, people."

She gave her boss a nod before getting up. The adrenaline of tonight was going to have to enough to keep Ali going.

* * *

With her eyes closed, Ali leaned on the wall outside the Shield's locker room. She loved her job, really, she did. She loved the fast paced world of live events. She loved the traveling. She loved being in the middle of organized chaos. But sometimes, like today, she wished she were home.

Ali had been writing for the WWE the last three years, and in the last year, had started producing as well. She was lucky that management was flexible with their job descriptions. Heck, they had to be. At the WWE, it was better if you knew more than just your job. Your job title was just a formality really- everyone on the road pitched in here and there. Corporate was more structured, and to Ali, boring. Life on the road, that was where the fun was.

And while life on the road was fun, she was happy just watching the fun pass her by. Oh, she was happy. She loved seeing new places. She was acquainted with everyone at work, both the stars and the staff. She was a friendly girl, and everyone she's worked with seemed to enjoy working with her. But she didn't really have a close circle of friends, she preferred the quiet comfort of a hotel room at the end of the night. Most of the time, she stayed behind while the others went to party.

And that was how she and Punk started hanging out. Getting left behind while everyone else went to go get drunk.

...

_"C'mon Ali!" Dolph Ziggler inclined his head towards the exit. "John said it's a really nice club, and the guys are already waiting for us there."_

_Ali smiled politely. "You guys go ahead. I still have a lot of stuff to do."_

_"Aww c'mon!" Heather from Costume piped in. "You never go out with us!" Several of their other colleagues were getting into their respective rentals, ready to relax and unwind._

_"Go!" She nudged Heather, "They're gonna leave you behind."_

_With one last look at Ali, Dolph and Heather headed out to join the others. "Call me if you change your mind", he called out. "I can pick you up!_

_She waved goodbye to the duo, giggling as she watched Heather try to squeeze herself between Zack and Dolph._

_"So you're the new production chick." Ali almost dropped her bag in surprise to see Punk standing a little over a foot behind her, looking at her with his trademark smirk. _

_She smiled at him. "Yes, I'm new in production, but I'm hardly new," she said. "I've been writing here for two years."_

_"Huh." _

_She laughed again at his expression. "Yep." _

_"Have you written anything nice for me?" The smirk was still there, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners._

_"You could say that." She cast a glance at him. A lot of her ideas were incorporated in his story line, however, it was another writer who was in charge of the Punk character. It was only during production of Punk's taped interview that evening that she had first worked with him. It was a pretty smooth segment, only needing one take. _

_"C'mon" He inclined his head towards the exit._

_"What? Where?"_

_"I have a big bus. You can keep me company." He wiggled his eyebrows comedically._

_She blinked. "Why would I want to do that?" _

_"I could keep you company too." She suddenly felt his had tug on her bag, letting it go in her surprise. _

_"Why would you want to do that?"_

_"So you could write nicer things for me," he winked at her. "C'mon."_

_A little intrigued and more than a little amused, she followed him._

* * *

Taking a deep breathe to clear her mind, she stood up straighter and knocked on the door. "You guys decent?"

She heard Roman's deep rumbling voice. "We're all dressed, but Dean here is never decent," he laughed.

She opened the door to see Dean toss a dirty sock on Roman's head, calling out curses and names at the taller man. If there was one thing she loved about working with the Shield, they could take her mind off of anything.

"Guys!" she called. "New script for tonight. You'll be interfering in the opening segment." All three pairs of eyes focused on her. "And you'll be main eventing."

"Yes!" Seth pumped his arm.

Ali grinned as his enthusiasm. "You'll lose by DQ tho," she teased.

The high flyer made a face.

Roman looked over her shoulder to look at the script. "Any promos?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Steph, Hunter and Bryan are opening the show. Hunter will give you your cue, then you guys do what you do. Sheamus and John will join in. That sets up the main event, a six man tag." She handed him the script, pointing to their roles at the start and end of the show.

Dean nodded, his blue eyes never leaving her face. "Sounds good." She looked at him, a little surprised at the intensity she felt from his gaze.

"Wanna help me warm up?" he winked at her, breaking their moment.

She stuck her tongue out him.

"Be careful with that, there's a lot of things that I'd like to do with that tongue'" he whispered, his smile wicked.

She blushed and immediately bit her tongue.

"You guys need to get ready. I need to double check the aisle you're using."

She gave each man a smile, before leaving. "Good luck."


	3. Chapter 3

To say she was exhausted was an understatement.

It was two weeks after the Royal Rumble and Ali had been working nonstop. CM Punk's departure triggered almost everyday meetings in Creative and in Production, and added even more pressure to the pandemonium that already was leading up to the Elimination Chamber and Wrestle Mania. All the Punk angles were scrapped- with that affecting most of the existing story lines, Ali and the other writers had to come up with new outlines fast.

It was a double edged sword, Punk leaving. For the most part, she was glad she was buried in so much work she didn't have time to think about Phil. But then she was buried in so much work because of him. She felt her heart lurch every time she heard someone try to guess his reasons for quitting.

She wasn't sure how long she could keep her straight face up. No one knew about them while he was still around, whatever "they" were. And she wanted to make sure it would stay that way even with him gone.

It was close to one in the morning when she got into the hotel. She was slowly making her way towards the lobby when she heard some familiar voices behind her. She turned around to see Seth, Roman and Dean.

"Princess!" Seth shouted, running to hug her from behind. "Where'd you come from? We didn't see you at the bar." The Shield had started calling her Princess, as a play on her surname King, ever since she had started working with them. He hugged her and started nuzzling the side of her face.

She shot a look at Roman. "What is he doing?" she mouthed at him.

Deep rumbling laugh. "Colb's a lightweight," he replied. "He gets all happy and touchy feely after a few drinks."

"I do not," the two tone star pouted. "Aliiii, why weren't you at the bar?" He stopped the nuzzling, but started playing with her hair instead.

She giggled at his antics. "I came from work."

"At one in the morning?" Dean's voice from her right.

"No rest for the wicked," she replied with a tired smile.

"Well the wicked has to come with us to the bar tomorrow." he said grabbing her laptop bag.

"Hey!" she protested. "I need that!"

Dean shook his head and held the bag behind him. "You get this back after you come out with us tomorrow,"

"My work is there! I need that laptop! Your script for RAW is in there!"

"We can wing it," he grinned at her.

Alison stomped her foot in protest. "I really need that back, Dean!"

"I've told you a dozen times, Princess, call me Jon."

She looked at the tall Samoan for help. "I need my laptop!"

The taller man just shrugged. "You do look like you need a break, Ali."

"Let me go Seth! I need my laptop back."

Seth went back to nuzzling her hair. "You have really pretty hair, Princess. Come to the bar with us tomorrow."

Ali let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine! I'll go to the bar with you tomorrow! But I want my laptop back now!"

"Nope." Jon smirked. "You get it after."

"What am I supposed to do tomorrow? We have a house show tomorrow! I need that!"

"See you tomorrow, Princess" Jon swaggered ahead into an elevator with her laptop, blowing her a kiss before the doors closed. All Ali could do was scowl.

"Colbs! Stop biting my hair!"

* * *

The house show finished without any hitches. Fortunately, house shows weren't as hectic as live shows, and Ali had printed out drafts of her scripts.

Unfortunately, no laptop meant she had a lot of time on her hands that day. The first time she had a moment to herself ever since that fateful RAW.

...

_"So, I'm straight edge too?" Ali asked. She was sitting on the bed of her hotel room, browsing through DVD titles. Movie night had become an almost weekly thing ever since she stepped on his bus ten months ago._

_Punk coughed up the Pepsi he was drinking. "What?!"_

_"Hey, I don't drink, don't smoke, don't sleep around. Why can't I be straight edge?" her tone serious._

_"Because of the crap you listen to!" he answered incredulous._

_"I don't listen to crap!"_

_Phil threw up his hands, exasperated._

_"I like pop, I like rock, I like alternative stuff. I like everything." she defended._

_"Exactly!" he exclaimed._

_"So why can't I be straight edge?" she stared up at him._

_His hazel eyes stared back to her blue._

_She tilted her head to the side, looking at him, eyes wide, while waiting for an answer._

_"Don't do that," he groaned._

_"Do what?" she straightened up._

_"That head tilt thing!"_

_"What head tilt thing?" she tilted her head to the other side._

_"I told you not to do that," he growled. And the next thing Ali knew, Phil's hand was around her neck, pulling her close. His lips crashed onto hers, stealing her breathe and leaving her incapable of thought._

_"Wha... What was that?" she breathed out._

_"That was you not listening to me," he replied, leaning in once again to plant a kiss on her lips._

_"I... I... but..." she stammered._

_He smiled at her. "What did you decide on watching tonight?"_

_Flustered, she grabbed the first DVD beside her._

_He got up to load the DVD into the player, and settled himself on the bed again, wrapping her arm around her shoulder._

_She looked at him, still quite not believing what had just happened._

_"Watch the movie."_

_She nodded, facing the tv, her mind in a whirl. What the hell just happened?_

_..._

* * *

They decided to leave the arena together after the house show, making their way to a bar just a block away from their hotel.

"Look, guys. I'm really not into the bar scene. I don't drink much. And I'm a horrible drunk." she said.

"Relax, Princess." Colby said good naturedly. "One drink never won't hurt anyone."

* * *

So she was telling the truth. The girl was a lightweight.

Two fancy cocktails and one shot later, Ali was barely standing. And she really was a terrible drunk. Unlike Colby who turned into a bubbly, happy sweetheart, Ali seemed to shut down the more she drank. She sat quietly in the bar in between Jon and Joe who were nursing beers, listening to them joke around, but not really joining in.

Noticing Ali close her eyes, Joe looked at her in concern. "Ali, you okay?"

She shook her head, but that was a bad idea. "I don't think so." She grabbed the closest arm to her for balance, trying to stop the spinning her head shake had caused. "I think I'm done. I should go back."

It was Jon's arm she grabbed. Gently, he wrapped his other arm around her waist to help her up. "I'll walk her back."

"We should all get going." Joe replied. "Colbs here is done too."

They managed to get back to the hotel and Ali into her room. Joe was able to dig out her keycard from her purse and open the door, while Jon carried a sleeping Ali. Jon had picked her up when she stumbled on the steps of the hotel, and she fell asleep in his arms. Colby was petting her hair the entire elevator ride up, cooing about how soft her blonde locks were, much to Jon's exasperation.

He and Colby laid her down, fixing the pillows and blanket around her.

"Don't leave." she whispered. Her eyes were closed, but her face was in a frown.

Jon exchanged quick glances with his team mates. Was she talking in her sleep?

"I'll stay with her," he said quietly. Joe nodded, leading Colby out the writer's room.

Jon kicked off his shoes and settled himself beside Ali. "It's okay, Princess," he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Chapter 4

The ringing of her phone's alarm woke Ali up from her sleep. Groaning, she extended her arms out, feeling the bed, trying to find the offending object. She shot up in a sitting position when she felt an unfamiliar body next to hers. That woke her up fast.

She saw the body stir. "What the fuck is that?" the body growled, voice laced with sleep.

Quickly, Ali looked around the room for her purse, finding it at the foot of the bed. She grabbed her phone and shut it off, still trying to wrap her head around her situation.

She looked down on her body, noting she was fully clothed, albeit wearing the same thing she was the night before. She took a peek at the man in her bed, and with a sigh of relief, realized that the familiar dark blond curls belonged to Jon. He looked like he was wearing last night's clothes too.

She poked him in the arm. "Jon?"

He let out an unintelligible grunt.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

He rolled himself onto his back, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. He stared at the ceiling before answering. "Because you asked me not to leave."

"Oh." She didn't know to say to that. Had she really asked him to stay?

She watched him as he yawned and got up slowly. Running his hand through his messy curls, he gave her a small wave with his other hand, then left her room without another word.

Ali stood there, staring at the door until the phone's snooze alarm shook her back into the present.

* * *

"Mind if I join you?" Colby asked, watching Ali take a bite of her waffle.

Ali covered her mouth as she chewed, pointing to the seat across her in acknowledgement.

He waited until she was finished chewing her food before he started talking. "Ali, I'm really sorry about last night." Colby said apologetically. "We didn't mean to force you to go drinking."

She shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. It's really sweet that you're apologizing, but there's nothing to apologize for. I enjoyed."

Colby snorted. "Right."

Ali laughed, shrugging it off.

He signaled to a waiter and gave his order, letting Ali eat in silence for a few minutes.

"You know, Ali, you can always hang out with us. You're always alone. And you've been looking so sad lately."

She looked up, startled to hear that Colby had noticed her. She thought she had been doing a good job hiding her emotions. Gently, he took her right hand into his left. "I know you like being alone," he continued, "and I respect that. But I want you to know that I'm here any time you need someone. And not just me, the guys too. Joe's a really good shoulder to cry on, and Jon may act like an ass most of the time, but he's a good guy deep down inside. Somewhere.

Her heart melted at his sincere offer. "Thanks, Colby. That really means a lot."

"You don't have to go drinking with us. We can just hang out. I know things are busy backstage, especially after Punk left, but don't let work run your life."

He had noticed her tense, her blue eyes flashing a look of pain before she struggled and got herself in control. He wondered what he could have said to set her off. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when it clicked. Understanding suddenly dawned on him. The timing of everything now made sense.

He held her hand a little tighter. "So, you and Punk, huh?" he asked with a soft smile.

She looked like she was going to deny it at first, but at the last second decided against it. "You know, you're sharper than you look," she teased.

"Hey!" he feigned a look of hurt.

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "It's not what you think." She looked down at her plate of half eaten waffles. "We weren't really together, not officially. But i thought... "she trailed off.

His thumb rubbed her hand in comforting gesture.

She looked at him, shoulders squared. It was time she accepted it. "I guess I just felt more for him than he did for me. I mean, I couldn't have meant much to him if he could just up and leave, right?"

...

_She saw the medics fuss over Punk when he finished his Hell in the Cell match against Ryback and Heyman. She wanted to go check on him, but knowing that he would be in pain and in a horrible mood, she stayed clear of him the rest of the night. How he could refuse to take an Advil after a match like that, she would never understand. _

_She spent the rest of the evening noting crowd reactions to the matches, typing down possible angles and ideas on her laptop. Happy that the pay per view went pretty much according to script, she collected her things and made her way out. The show going on as planned meant there wouldn't be too much changes to the script for RAW, and she could get some early sleep._

_The knocking on the door stirred her from slumber._

_Looking groggily at her phone for the time, she saw the lcd screen flash 2:47am. _

_She made her way to the door, going up on her tip toes to reach the the peep hole, opening the door when she saw who was on the other side. _

_"Punk?" _

_He was leaning on the frame of the door, his eyes closed, his left hand holding an ice pack against his hip._

_"Hey. You okay?" Ali asked, her brows furrowing in concern._

_"Can I stay here tonight?" _

_She blinked in surprise. "Um. Sure. What happened?"_

_He didn't reply. Instead, he took his hand in hers, and pulled her into the room with him. He climbed into her bed, still silent, motioning for her to lay down beside him. When she settled in, he switched off the night lamp and wrapped his arm around her. They both stared into the dark in silence until sleep took over. _

_..._

"I am in the mood for something sweet and sticky," Jon announced sliding into the booth next to Ali. She was surprised to hear his raspy voice near her ear, and one glance at him showed his hair was damp, looking like he had just finished a shower. "Mmmm, just the thing I was looking for," he said grabbing her and giving her cheek a lick. She gaped at him and pushed him away. "Ewww! Ambrose!"

"After the wild night we had, I expected a more enthusiastic greeting,"

She gasped and slapped his arm. "Nothing happened!" she exclaimed. She scowled at Colby who was trying to stifle his laughter.

"Well, I'm hurt. I pull out all my moves, and she calls it nothing."

She slapped his arm again.

"Normally, I like doing the spanking. But with you Princess, I can make an exception,"

"Shut up!"

"Good morning to you, Sunshine" he grinned. He took her fork and stole a bite of her waffle, making an exaggerated show of licking the maple syrup off the fork. "Sweet and sticky," he winked.

Ali just rolled her eyes.

Joe arrived a little moment after holding a familiar black case. "My laptop!" Ali exclaimed happily. "Thank you, Joe!" He gave her a genuine smile before taking a seat beside Colby.

Jon snorted. Ali responded by slapping his arm for the third time, quickly retracting her hand before Jon could comment or retaliate. "Your script for tonight is in here."

"Anything good?" Colby asked.

Ali nodded. "Wanna read it?"

Colby nodded enthusiastically.

She opened her laptop to look for her files. The rest of the morning was spent eating, laughing and discussing the scenes of Shield for that evening's show.

* * *

Dean Ambrose was in the middle of defending his US Championship title against Mark Henry when the CM Punk chants started. Staff watching the monitors backstage winced. No matter how good a show they were putting out there, the audience still wanted their 'hero'.

Ali shared a worried look with Bill, who was seated beside her. Aside from writing and scheduling, the Creative team monitored audience reaction. The Punk chants were still continuing show after show, even after his name was removed from the marketing materials. What else do they have to do to make the WWE Universe forget him?

Bill caught her attention and pointed to the monitor. Seth Rollins had just just grabbed a mic. That wasn't in the script.

"CM who?" they heard him shout. "That's Dean Ambrose right there, that's the United States champion! That's the man you all wish you could be, and that's the man all your ladies want to be with tonight!"

The people surrounding the monitors erupted into smiles. "That man is a genius!" Bill exclaimed at Ali. "We need to give that guy more mic time!"

Ali beamed. She had been pushing for more promos for the Shield, and Colby's little show just helped their cause significantly.

They watched the match end in a disqualification, and the succeeding face off with the Wyatt Family. The electricity and energy the two factions generated was amazing. She was giddy at the thought of writing and producing their next segments leading to the pay per view.

When the Shield arrived backstage, Ali ran to Colby, giving him a huge hug. "You were brilliant!"

Beside them, Jon was breathing hard, rolling his neck and shoulders in attempt to work off some of the pain from the match. "Hey, I was the one in the match, why doe he get the hug?"

She flicked her hand at him. "Yeah, yeah, you were okay." She looked up at Joe with a big smile. "You were great out there too! The energy for you three is amazing!"

The three were still pumped with adrenaline, and Ali backed off from Colby just as quickly as she had latched on. Almost immediately, Jon snaked his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

"Jon! Ewwww!" Ali wrinkled her nose as the sweat on Jon dripped down on her.

"You know you like it dirty" he rasped near her ear. That voice was sounding sexier every time she heard it, and she was surprised she actually acknowledged that to her herself.

"Knock it off, Jon," she heard Joe, the voice of reason, say.

They headed towards the locker room, Jon loosening his hold, but not letting Ali go quite yet. "We going out tonight?" he asked no one in particular.

Colby saw Ali shake her head. Not wanting a repeat of last night's incident, he replied "Naw. I'm beat. How bout we stay in tonight?"

The two men looked at Joe to break the tie. The big man looked at Ali. "Pizza night?"

She looked a little unsure.

"You get to pick the flavor," Joe offered.

"Pizza it is!"


	5. Chapter 5

Ali ate her dinner in silence, wondering why the day seemed so long to her. She had finally gotten home for a long needed break the night prior, and was able to catch up on precious sleep that morning. She did her laundry, ran her errands, went to the grocery, and curled up with a good book. It was exactly how she spent her days off, but today she felt restless. She had been looking forward to her two days off for so long, and now that she had it, it felt a little empty.

It was too quiet, she mused. But then, she had always liked the quiet. Before.

She hadn't realized how lonely she was until she had constant companionship. Now, just one day without the boys, she was already missing their antics.

She got sucked into traveling with the Shield after pizza night. Seth had pestered her into riding with them to the next venue, and she had agreed just to shut him up. Colby, she corrected mentally, not Seth. She still called them by their ring names occasionally, preferring to call the stars by their character names because of her work, but the boys had insisted on her calling them by their real names.

Somehow, that one ride became two. And two rides became three. Then the next thing she knew, she was part of their travel group. Colby made good on his offer of friendship and welcomed her with open arms. Joe was more quiet, but was a nice solid and comforting presence. And Jon... Jon was a little odd with his teasing comments, a little over the top with his crassness, and a little unsettling when she would catch him staring at her. But he was Jon, and all of those little things combined made him Jon.

Glancing up from her food, she noticed a framed photo of her and Punk on top of her side table. She couldn't remember what show it was from, but Phil had been in a good mood. She had joked around acting like a crazed fangirl, making exaggerated shrieks, pretending to swoon and wanting a photo with him. He laughed and obliged. It was the only photo of them together that she had. And it was going head right into the trash when she finished her dinner.

* * *

She was oddly happy to be back at work. She took a late morning flight and headed straight to the arena. There were meetings she had to be in scheduled through out the afternoon. She was looking forward to handing the boys their scripts and goofing around with them after.

Creative had just finished their meeting for the evening's show and subsequent story lines, and the input from the writers was great. Two days off did wonders for everyone.

"Ali," her boss called out just as she was about to leave.

"Yes, Stephanie?" She turned around, balancing her laptop, clipboard, notebook and pen in her arms.

"I need you to make a script for a Punk return."

"A WHAT?!" she exclaimed, horror slowly replacing her good mood.

"A script for a possible Punk return," the older woman repeated, an irritated scowl marring her pretty features. "Believe me it wasn't my idea," she said.

"You mean he's coming back?" Ali asked, shaken.

Stephanie shook her head. "I don't know. I wouldn't take him back even if he begged." she said bitterly. "But my dad and Paul are open to it. We'll be in Chicago on Monday, and my dad wants a story explaining his absence and his return just in case he shows up."

The blonde woman nodded. That's how Creative rolled. They always had scripts just in case. On any other day, she would have been jumping for joy at being handpicked by Stephanie to write a story as massive as this one, and for such a prominent superstar. She was half tempted to tell her boss to assign it to someone else, but that could be career suicide. She was a professional, she could handle this. She just had to put all her personal feelings aside.

"Any preferred angles?" Ali asked quietly.

"No," Stephanie replied, her attention already back to her laptop. "This will be your baby. In case he returns."

"In case he returns," she echoed hollowly.

* * *

_..._

_Ali woke up alone in her hotel bed a little before her alarm went off. She frowned at the empty but rumpled place beside her, her heart sinking. _

_She heard the flushing of the toilet, and saw Punk emerge. Her sinking heart did an abrupt 180, fluttering back up to its proper place. _

_"I thought you left."_

_He gave her a funny smile. "Why would I leave?" _

_He stretched his arm overhead, leaning from one side to the other. "You sleep good?"_

_She nodded. She watched him stretch for a few more minutes. _

_"Phil? What are we doing?"_

_"I'm stretching. I don't know what you're doing under the covers," he grinned._

_"I'm serious."_

_He took a few steps towards her stopping at the foot of the bed, the grin on his face fading into something softer. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I want to see where it goes. Can we see where this leads to? Go with the flow?" _

_She didn't look convinced. "I don't know, Phil. I don't need a label on things, but I don't like not knowing either. You're my friend. I don't want stuff to get complicated. With work too- " _

_His minty mouth covered hers, quelling her objections. _

_When she broke the kiss, she started again, still looking uncertain. "Really, Phil. I don't know about-"_

_"I see I'm going to have to do a better job at shutting you up," he said, covering her lips with his again. _

_..._

* * *

She went through her duties that evening distracted. Colby had pulled her aside to ask her what was wrong, but she had shrugged it off. After the Shield's match, she disappeared. Normally, she would be waiting for them letting know how awesome they were, or chiding them if they went off script. He tried calling her a few times, but his calls went straight to voice mail. Wanting to wash off the sweat from his match, he and Joe went back to the locker room to shower. Jon wandered off wondering where she could have gone.

He found her sitting on the linoleum floor in a secluded corner of the arena, face blank, staring at an equally blank page of her laptop. "Hey," he called out softly.

She didn't respond. Pen clutched in one hand, pages of her clipboard scattered around her, the page of her notebook blank as well, save for her neat handwriting on top that said "Punk's Return."

He looked at her notebook then back at her face.

"He's coming back?" he snarled.

His anger startled her. "I don't know. Vince wants a script ready just in case he shows up in Chicago."

"Fuck!" he shouted, shaking his head wildly.

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Jon, I'm sorry, but can you go? I just need to be alone."

Swallowing back the rage he was feeling, Jon lowered himself beside her, stretching out his legs as he sat down. He took the laptop from her lap, setting it aside. Slowly, he pried her pen from her hand and replaced it with his own.

"No. No, you don't."

Colby and Joe found them half an hour later. Colby stepping over Jon's legs to reach Ali's left side. He gave her head a kiss, and settled beside her. Joe seated himself to Jon's right.

They stayed huddled together until one by one the arena's lights went off.


	6. Chapter 6

The insistent knock on the door woke up Joe Anoa'i. He threw a pillow at Jon to force him to get up. Jon instead covered his head with the pillow to muffle out the sound. In the end, it was Colby who was forced to get the door.

He was greeted by a bright smile.

"Good morning!" Ali chirped.

"Ali?" Colby scratched his head groggily.

"Good morning, Colbs." She leaned up to kiss his cheek, and wrinkled her nose when his beard scratched her face.

He followed as she entered the room, still dazed.

"Soy latte for you. Freshly squeezed orange juice for Joe. Brewed coffee, one cream, one brown sugar for Jon." she announced, setting down the beverages.

Joe yawned and slowly got up into a sitting position.

"Also, croissants and egg tarts from Lillian's Bakery. Ham, bacon, hash and eggs. Poached for Joe. Fat free yogurt for Colbs. And waffles for Jon. With syrup. Lots of extra maple syrup."

They were all a little bit confused. Jon threw the pillow covering his face back at Joe.

"What's all this, Princess?"

"I'd like to apologize and at the same time show my appreciation for yesterday."

"Eh? You didn't have to do all of this."

"I wanted to. I'm going to suck it up, be professional and write a god damn good story."

She looked at Colby. "I'd still be moping if it weren't for you." she said softly. She transferred the same thankful smile to Joe, and then to Jon.

"So!" She clapped her hands twice. "Who's driving today?"

* * *

She settled herself on the bleachers at the arena, looking around at the empty stadium. The boys had to meet the Wyatts to talk their match through, and she needed a quiet area to work. She tried to concentrate on her task at hand. Needing some loosening up, she undid her ponytail and shook her head, feeling her hair fall in waves around her.

What were the chances of Punk coming back? She had not heard from him for over four weeks. None of their colleagues had heard from him either. Any talk of Punk got Stephanie in a bad mood fast, and Vince was tight lipped about the subject.

She bit her lip. Punk had always crossed the lines of kayfabe and reality. This shouldn't be any exception.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as a stream of ideas began to flow.

* * *

Jon watched Ali while she worked.

It was fun to watch her- she was extremely expressive, and had the most amusing facial expressions. She would tilt her head and tap her fingers on her laptop when she was deep in thought. Bite her lip while she was typing. She would wrinkle her nose and press the delete button with unnecessary force. Her duck face was the funniest, he wondered what she was writing to produce those. But his favorite would be the tip of her tongue poking out the corner of her lip smile when she would lean back and review her work. The girl was oh so oblivious to the world.

"Hey man," Colby approached Jon.

Jon gave a nod to acknowledge Colby's presence, not taking his eyes off the writer.

Colby looked at where Jon was staring at and grinned. He exchanged a knowing look with Joe who was a few steps behind him, inclining his head towards the bleachers. The taller man smiled too.

"Bray's waiting for us at the cafeteria," Colby called out.

Jon gave Ali one last lingering look before following his team mates to backstage.

* * *

"I like it," Stephanie McMahon commented as she perused the draft of "Punk's Return" that Ali had handed her. "We'll discuss this at Creative tomorrow."

She handed Allison a script in exchange.

"That's the draft for Monday's RAW. See if you can add anything to it. You'll be producing the Shield pre-tape segment. We'll finalize everything tomorrow. Get the advertisers listings from Pat on your way out. There are a couple of new ad spots, and I want to make sure the new times synchronize with the rest of the schedule." With that, she was dismissed from the room that Stephanie was using as her office.

Walking down the hall, Ali grimaced when she spotted the Shield page. After weeks of teasing the WWE Universe with a Shield split, they were really pushing through with the disbanding of the team.

RAW would have Seth Rollins walk out during a match.

She looked up at the heavens, exhaling and wondered where all this was going to lead her.

* * *

_..._

_"Colt is having a Thanksgiving dinner thing."_

_"That's nice," Ali replied, curling her legs comfortably under her. They were in Punk's bus on the way to Boston for Survivor Series. "I can't wait for for three whole days off" she said smiling at Punk. RAW would be live the Monday after, and they would tape Smackdown on Tuesday. Vince had given them three days off for Thanksgiving._

_"Come with me."_

_"Huh? Where?"_

_"To Colt's party."_

_"In Chicago?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Are you insane?"_

_Punk laughed at the incredulous expression on Ali's face. "C'mon, it'll be fun."_

_"No."_

_"Why not?"_

_"I'm not good with new people, Punk. You know that."_

_"It's just Colt," Punk argued._

_"No."_

_Punk sidled up to her, wrapping his arm around her midsection. "C'mon." _

_She tried to push him away, but he held on to her tighter._

_"No! I'm going home for Thanksgiving."_

_"Come home with me."_

_"Did you hit your head really hard tonight?" she asked._

_"It's just a couple of hours at Colt's. The rest of the time it'll be just you and me." He dropped his voice to a low baritone and talked near her ear._

_"Please?" he whispered. _

_He nuzzled her neck, peppering it with slow licks and kisses._

_She could feel her resistance slowly slipping. "You're not playing fair," she said._

_He smirked. "I never said I played fair."_

_..._

* * *

After the evening's taping, the Shield and Ali grabbed their things and started the drive to the next city. They stopped at a small diner after a little over an hour on the road to indulge in some midnight munchies. Hesitantly, Ali broached the subject of the impending split.

Jon was unfazed, munching on fries as Colby and Ali talked about the script. Joe was neutral, merely nodding before wolfing down his burger.

Colby on the other hand was a little nervous with the direction of their story. It was something that they all knew was coming, and had long ago accepted. Their Shield run had been amazing. They were young guys who had debuted and gone straight up to WWE main event status in a snap, and had stayed there at the top spot for over a year. They had faith in their abilities. They were good, really good. But with the amount of solo superstars, they could easily get lost in the shuffle.

"Um, I'm going to ask a stupid question," Ali said, after they had settled the bill, twin pink spot appearing in her cheeks.

"Shoot," replied Colby.

"Are you guys still traveling together after you split up?" she asked, suddenly finding the salt shaker the most interesting thing in the diner.

"Oh, Princess, that's what has you worried?" Colby asked with a lopsided smile. He took the salt shaker from her and set it aside. "No matter what happens with the Shield, we will be here for you," he promised, taking her hands into his.

Ali looked embarrassed. "Erm..." she stammered.

"Of course, we'll continue traveling together." Joe's deep voice answered. He ruffled her hair affectionately.

She made a face and excused herself to go to the ladies room. When she had finished, the guys were already standing by the door waiting for her.

Colby and Joe had run ahead, arguing about who was driving. She laughed as she followed them, but stopped when she noticed Jon trailing behind her.

When he reached her, Jon held out his hand, pleasantly surprised when she accepted it with a smile. Smiling back, he pulled her into a quick hug. "You won't get rid of us that easily," he murmured.

Not knowing what to say, she did what felt natural. She hugged him back.

It wasn't until they reached the car that she realized that Jon still hadn't let her hand go.


	7. Chapter 7

_She shrugged off her coat as she entered Punk's apartment, mentally berating herself for agreeing to attend Colt's dinner party. _

_Colt had been friendly and funny, his date sweet. Punk's sisters were absolutely lovely people. They had made a point in including her in their conversations, throwing in embarrassing stories of Punk every now and then. _

_She had never seen Punk as relaxed as that evening. His hazel eyes twinkled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he relayed stories to the people he considered family. All the stress and pain that had accumulated the past few weeks melted away. He would throw her a look every now and then, checking if she was okay. Every time he did that, she felt the butterflies in her tummy intensify._

_She kicked off her shoes and muttered a curse under her breath._

_She was fine with whatever they had. _

_She watched as Punk removed his cap and unzipped his hoodie, smiling as he made his way to her. _

_"Thanks for coming with me tonight," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her cheek. _

_She closed her eyes and cursed again. _

_Sometime during that dinner, amidst the good food and good conversation, she had fallen in love. _

_It was a mistake. She should not have come. _

* * *

Backstage at RAW was both more chaotic and more quiet than usual. They were in Chicago that day, and the internet was buzzing with Punk's return.

Stephanie was in boss-zilla mode. Vince had not confirmed with her anything Punk, and she was adamant that the show go smoothly. Hunter was uncharacteristically tense too. He shared his wife's worry that the fans would hijack the show with their search for CM Punk. Sound and Audio were on their toes, ready to take over the soundcast in case audience chants became too rowdy.

Allison was in the Shield locker room trying not to show how nervous she felt. She dealt with the past few days well, but they were in his hometown now. Professionally, she would freak if he showed up- it would be good for the ratings, but would wreck havoc on their schedule and story lines. On the personal front, she really didn't know what she would do or say if she saw him. What do you say to someone who leaves you without a word? Nothing, she thought. It would be tit for tat. But she could slap him. Yeah, she mentally noted. She should slap him.

Colby had kept her preoccupied with his non stop chatter that afternoon until Joe had made him shut up and warm up. Idly, she thumbed through the script she had in her hands as she watched the boys go through their individual warm up routines.

Colby was stretching. The man was reaaaally flexible. Joe was alternating quick jumps with high jumps, shaking his arms and neck and legs as he moved. Jon was on the floor counting pushups, his sculpted biceps catching her attention. He moved so effortlessly, muscles rippling as he counted under his breath.

A runner knocked and poked his head in. "10 minutes to pre-tape!" he announced. "Better get to your spot."

The boys filed out with Ali following from behind. She had her breath knocked out of her when she collided onto Jon's back when he stopped so abruptly.

He didn't turn around, waiting a few seconds until Colby and Joe were out of ear shot. His normally warm gravelly voice was cold.

"If he comes back tonight, I will rip him to pieces."

Without waiting for her reply, he jogged forward, leaving Ali staring.

* * *

She lay in bed, a good kind of tired settling into her bones.

She was proud of tonight's show. The matches were spectacular. The card they prepared was meant to show everyone's A game. It was meant to show the world that they didn't need CM Punk.

It was a cruel taunt to the WWE Universe when they played his theme. Paul Heyman had not liked that one bit. He had not want to come out to his friend's music, but he had no choice in the matter. Stephanie McMahon herself had written that script. Regardless of his feeling on the matter, the promo was excellent. It was classic Paul Heyman.

"People accept lies so much easier, but the truth does sting just a little bit, doesn't it?" she recalled him say.

The disappointment of the fans was felt throughout the arena, a punch to the guts to the hopeful. Their hero failed them. He didn't turn up. All of those promises of being Best in the World, of loving wrestling, of giving back to the fans, all broken.

After tonight, there would be no more dreams of CM Punk.

Her eyes fluttered close, the rest of the evening playing out in her head.

The Usos winning the tag team titles. Sheamus and Christian's brutal match. Sleepily, she noted that they should continue that feud, the two had excellent in ring chemistry. She nitpicked John Cena's promo. Remembered Bryan and Hunter's segment. The "This is Awesome" chants during the Shield and Wyatt match. Seth Rollins walking out. The sweaty hugs and adrenaline pumped emotions from both the Shield and the Wyatts when they made it back backstage. Jon behind her, whispering in her ear when one of the CM Punk chants started.

"I may not be squeaky clean like your choir boy," he rasped "but i would never leave you."

She had froze, hadn't known how to react.

When she did turn around, he had disappeared into the showers.

Jon had been flirting more lately. There was a fine line between friendship and something more. She wasn't sure where Jon stood. And while she could tell his threat to Punk was dead serious, she wasn't quite sure about his teasing.

She smiled against her pillow as she thought about Jon. Jon as her hero, she mused. Anti-hero, she corrected, not hero. He would be the perfect anti-hero. Crazy, wild, sexy, loudmouthed, utterly crass, dripping with bad boy appeal Jon.

Her eyes flew wide. She threw off the covers and scrambled to find her pen and notebook, suddenly awake. That's what the WWE Universe needed. There would be no more CM Punk. The fans were going to get a new hero.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, this is turning fluffier than I intended. Ah, those fluff bunnies, so adorable. **

**If this is getting a little too sweet for your liking, head over to my new fic 'Time To Play' for some Dean Ambrose naughty goodness. (Sorry for shameless plug ^_^ )**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, feedback, follows and favorites! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

She had called Stephanie first thing in the morning, requesting for a meeting.

Unfortunately, Steph and Hunter had flown back to Connecticut right after RAW. That meant she had to give up her day off and fly to Stamford. She almost balked, tempted to push the meeting until their next show on Thursday.

But the Smackdown taping would be on Thursday, and she needed Stephanie on board her idea before that.

The scheduling would tricky. There were only four more weeks until Wrestlemania. That meant only four more RAWs to set up her story. Plus Smackdown. She'll have to use Smackdown. Mentally, she formulated the timetable she needed, looking for her notebook to jot it down.

Turning on her laptop, she searched for flights to Connecticut, booking one that will leave after lunch.

She looked at the messy notes she had made last night, opening a blank document after she had finalized her flight booking. She still had a little time to organize her thoughts.

* * *

Ali texted sometime Thursday lunch, asking Colby where they were. Colby and Jon were already in the hotel at Memphis, Joe due to arrive sometime soon. He was on a flight coming in from Florida. They agreed to get a work out before the show at the hotel gym early afternoon, and that was where Ali went to see them.

She met them at the gym, dressed in short navy blue dress and heels, her coat and laptop bag tucked in her arm.

Jon looked her up and down, not used to seeing her dressed up. His eyes lingered on her legs a little longer than necessary before he let out a wolf whistle.

"You didn't have to get all dressed up for me," he drawled. "You're just gonna take it all off anyway."

Ali rolled her eyes. "I came from Corporate. I ditched my day off. Spent the last two days at Stamford."

"Why?"

"I was working. It's not only you guys that are the work horses of the WWE," she teased back, referencing a recent interview Jon did. "Some of us lowly people have high work ethic too."

Jon snorted. From behind her, Joe laughed.

"New script." Ali announced with a flourish.

The Shield Summit. Smackdown.

Colby's eyes were wide as he skimmed through the pages.

They had a 15 minute promo on Smackdown. And not just a pre-tape promo. An in-ring one. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were going to be given mic time to address the issues in the Shield.

"Wow. This is gonna be intense." he said, still reading.

"Why Smackdown? This this feels like it would be more of a RAW thing," he asked, not bothering to look up.

"I need RAW to set things up."

Colby looked at her then, curious. "What are you not telling us?"

Ali shook her head, smiling. She didn't want to jinx it just yet.

"Aww c'mon, Princess! Don't leave us hanging!"

"It can still go either way. The outline isn't done yet. Steph will decide after RAW. I'll let you know the moment she does."

Colby continued reading, his lips turning up. Parts of the conversation they had in the diner were in the paper he was holding, printed in black and white.

He looked up at Ali, with an even bigger smile.

"I get to slap Dean? That is awesome!" he exclaimed, giving Ali a high five.

"What?!" Jon growled, grabbing the script from his team mate. "What the fuck? He slaps me?"

"But you get to punch him back," Ali replied sweetly.

"Any action for me?" Joe asked, trying to steal the script from Jon. But Jon was too fast. He turned around and stepped away, keeping the pages from Joe's grasp.

Ali grinned and nodded. "You get to shove Dean."

"The hell!" Jon ranted. But his eyes were playful, the corners of his mouth turning up as well as he read the script.

He flipped the page and skimmed through the rest of Smackdown and through the unfinished draft for next Monday's RAW.

"Wait, you mean we aren't splitting up yet?"

"To borrow a line from Dean Ambrose- Nope!" she said, her eyes bright. She heard Jon laugh out loud.

A loud whoop erupted from Colby's lips.

* * *

_"Allison, I'm switching you over to handle the Shield story lines, starting today" Stephanie announced. Ali looked up from her notebook in surprise. She glanced at the men sitting across the table and caught the gaze of Dean Ambrose. He gave her a wink, his lips curling into an amused smile when he caught her blush. "You'll be producing all the Shield pre-tape segments as well. I want Bill concentrating on the Orton and Bryan angle against the Authority."_

_"Punk will go over at TLC, but we'll continue that angle until the Royal Rumble," her boss continued. The young writer nodded, taking notes. "Bill, you'll also be handling the return of Batista."_

_That caught Ali off guard. She blinked in surprise, but held her tongue. Bill, on her right, was speechless at the news too._

_Stephanie nodded to the men on her right. "Gentlemen, this is Allison. As I've mentioned, Allison will be writing and producing your segments from now on. I've called you in so you can brainstorm together. You mentioned something about your ring attires. Discuss that with Ali. Give Ali your current schedule; she'll inform you of your new ones for December. We're compressing the tapings so we can all have a nice long Christmas break."_

_After a few more instructions, Stephanie got up, Bill and another writer, Mike, trailing behind her, confirming schedules, venues and angles._

_Closing her notebook, Ali got up and crossed the room. She held out her hand to the man on the left most. She recognized him as Seth Rollins, the high flyer of the Shield._

_"Allison King," she said. "But everyone calls me Ali."_

_"King? You look more like a Princess to me," he teased, getting up to shake her hand. "Colby Lopez." _

_The big Samoan on the right got up too. "Joe Anoa'i." he said, enveloping her hand in his huge one. "I think we've passed each other a couple of times backstage," he said._

_She nodded, remembering a few segments that she helped out in. _

_The man known as Dean Ambrose hadn't gotten up, but continued to regard with a Cheshire cat's smile, his eyes following her every movement. _

_"That guy over there," Seth said pointing to Dean. "You don't have to pay him any attention."_

_"Hey," Dean Ambrose's deep voice said, shooting Seth a mock glare. "I resent that."_

_He finally stood up, and made his way slowly to her, his blue eyes intense. "Jon. But you can call me whatever you want, Princess."_

* * *

_"Guess what! I'm going to be writing for the Shield!" Ali shared gleefully the moment she entered her hotel room. "This is gonna be so fun!"_

_Punk was on the couch, a hot pack in hand. He remained silent as he massaged his knee._

_"You'll be facing them at the pay per view on the 15th," she continued. "You guys are gonna blow the roof! I saw an old match of you and Ambrose on youtube, and you guys were unbelievable!" _

_"Seth Rollins is amazing," she gushed. "And Roman Reigns? Wow. Just wow."_

_She didn't notice when Punk got up and dropped his heating pack._

_"I'm still not in the title picture?"_

_She shook her head. _

_"Fuck!"_

_"But you're going over at TLC!" she said, exasperated. _

_"Who cares!"_

_"You're going over against three guys! You can't get any more over than that!" _

_"Did you write that? Huh?" he sneered. _

_"What? No!"_

_"This is so stupid! Fucking stupid!"_

_"You're the one being stupid, Phil. Calm do-" The glare he shot her sent chills down her spine, effectively shutting her up. _

_She hadn't expected Punk to walk out. Hadn't expected how much it would hurt. Hadn't known that in a few weeks, he would be walking out of her life for good._


	9. Chapter 9

_The dark cloud that was Punk's bad mood continued on for next few weeks. _

_Occasionally, the sun would shine through and she would see glimpses of the man she fell in love with, but those instances didn't last very long._

_When it was revealed by Stephanie during Town Hall Meeting that Daniel Bryan was not going to be in the Royal Rumble, Punk was furious on his friend's behalf. He had ranted and railed at the powers that be._

_He had ranted at Ali too. But after weeks of his bad mood, the girl had learned to tune Punk out._

_He mellowed for a while. With Bryan out, the straight edge superstar assumed that he would be winning the Rumble, even after being booked as the first entry. He didn't believe he should be facing Triple H at Wrestlemania. To him, it was only logical that he would headline the biggest event of the year._

_Stephanie had kept the Rumble results to herself until the last minute. Even the writers of Creative were shut out from the plans. Bill was a wreck. He couldn't move forward with any of the storylines when he didn't know who was going to win. _

_It was only until the Rumble itself that she had told the participants that Batista was booked to win._

_Punk had gone livid, almost refusing to join the event. It had taken a lot of forcing, pleading, negotiating, shouting, and threats from Vince McMahon himself to get him to participate._

_The next night, he was gone._

* * *

RAW, March 17

"Jerry, I see that look in your eyes. But i got a good feeling Daniel Bryan is not coming to save you."

The Architect of the Shield had Jerry 'The King' Lawler cornered at the turnbuckle. He drew the words out slowly for the maximum effect. Behind Seth to his right was Dean Ambrose, fidgeting erratically, eyes wild, looking like he would snap at any second. Roman Reigns who was behind Rollins to his left, was like a big cat, a beautiful dark predator, perfectly still, waiting to pounce at the right moment.

"Because the Shield always does what's best for business."

She felt goosebumps crawl up her skin as she watched the Shield turn towards Kane. She had written the script for this, but seeing it in action live was a whole different ball game.

She heard the crowd roar their support. Saw Bill, who was standing with their bosses, give her a thumbs up sign. Watched Hunter look on with approval. Exchanged smiles with Stephanie, earning a nod from her boss.

She watched as the Shield circled the Corporate Kane, and cheered with everyone else when they triple power bombed Hell's Favorite Demon.

* * *

"I can't believe we're faces now!"

The excitement of Colby made her laugh. He was shaking his booty to an imaginary tune, and would randomly grab her for a spin.

Joe's smile had not disappeared the entire evening. Jon was smiling too, dimples flashing adorably.

"Well, Stephanie wants to play this out a little longer. The Authority will be calling you out next week. I had the entire thing planned out," she pouted. "But i didn't get the go signal from Steph."

"I thought you guys would have enough time to make a proper turn," the writer continued. "But we're still on damage control with the whole Batista situation. You're sortof tweeners now." Ali made a face. "Your moment won't come until after Wrestlemania. Sorry guys."

"That's okay, Ali." Joe soothed.

She let out a frustrated huff. "I didn't think Steph would book you against Kane and the New Age Outlaws for Wrestlemania!" she wailed. "I had your entire story planned out! I sacrificed my days off just to finish that thing! "

"Are you kidding me?" Colby exclaimed, his eye going wide, his happy dance momentarily forgotten. "That's awesome!"

"We're going to be in Wrestlemania!" Joe bellowed.

"You're not mad?" she whispered. "I mean, I love Billy and Jesse, but the New Age Outlaws?"

"Mad? Are you insane? We're going to be in Wrestlemania!" Joe embraced her, swinging her around. She let out a squeal of laughter and protest.

"I don't care if we're going to be against the New Age Outlaws or against Hornswaggle. We're going to be in Wrestlemania! Do you know how many guys would kill for that opportunity?"

"Princess, you got us into Wrestlemania XXX! Whatever you planned for us, we can do it after." Colby reassured her. He grabbed Jon, ignoring his protest, and together, they squeezed in a for group hug.

When everyone broke away from the huddle, it was Jon who remembered to ask, "What did you have planned for us anyway?"

"Well, nobody really knows what to do with Batista. Poor Bill is tearing his hair out. None of the writers wanted to touch him, so I figured why not," she shrugged. "So I planned on having the two greatest stables in recent history have a go at it. And I really wanted that for Wrestlemania. We'll probably push it back to Payback or something."

Colby gave her a curious look. "Us against the Wyatts again?"

She shook her head.

"The Shield versus Evolution."

* * *

They arrived at their hotel a little after midnight. The adrenaline of the night had worn off and all Colby and Joe wanted to do was go to bed. She could hear them arguing about who was going to use the bathroom first up until the elevator doors closed.

Wanting a little fresh air before she went to bed, she stepped out to the pool area. Jon followed, watching the moon light cast a soft glow on her face.

When he caught her eye, he pulled up his eyebrows.

"So, I'm officially gonna be a face, huh?"

"The Hounds of Justice fighting injustice! You guys will be the WWE Universe's new heroes." she giggled. "Imagine that. Dean Ambrose, a good guy."

He scoffed. "Dean Ambrose is bad ass. He will never be good guy."

She laughed softly at his remark. It really was true tho, Dean Ambrose is bad ass, and that was his appeal.

They continued walking until they found a bench at the edge of the garden.

They sat together, enjoying the quiet a little longer.

He laced his fingers with hers, searching her face for any objections. When he found none, he lifted her knuckles up to his lips.

"I can be one though. A good guy." he said.

She smiled softly at him. "I know."

"I would never leave you like that."

"I know."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his arm. Letting go of her hand, he put his arm around her, settling her against his chest, before entwining his fingers with hers again.

"I am not letting you go." he whispered against her hair.

A minute later he added. "And if you say 'I know' again, Ms. Smartypants, you will not know what hit you."

He felt her laughter bubble up against his him as she snuggled in closer.

It might have been minutes later when she got up.

Turning around to face Jon, she leaned towards him, pressing her free hand on his cheek. Her lips softly brushed the corner of his mouth, before she quickly straightened, blushing.

Looking away, she tried to pull away from Jon, but he pulled her into his arms as he stood up. He pressed a kiss on her forehead, and then another on her nose.

Fingers still interlaced, they headed toward the hotel together.

She couldn't stop smiling.

Neither could be.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! And thank you even more for the feedback and reviews! :)**

**I already had a draft of my epilogue that would end with Payback. But then RAW came around and totally broke my heart. I had to trash what I had written [I totally did not see that coming so soon. Also, what I wrote would have been inconsistent with my story and with the current WWE story.] So, I'm going to have to end with this. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed :) ****I blame the fluff bunnies for this! I can't believe I wrote such a fluffy soft Ambrose. Hahaha. **


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